Things to consider: 1. While locally convenient, it took 4 months to fix my tape deck. Unfortunately had to return it 3 days after I got it. 2. Had to wait another 2 months for the 'Warranty' repair to be completed. After 3 months, I had to call several times for a status/update, always with the same response: 'Waiting on the part'. Within 2 weeks after the 3 months, finally got a call it was ready. 3. Went to pick it up, and was told I owed $30.00, for parts. Asked why since it was returned within the warranty period, now get this, "it was out of Warranty"...ya see how this works now! 4. Sooo...after taking my tape deck home, after the 'Warranty' repair, discovered the tape deck was severely scratched across the surface face. 5. Finally. After 2 days of playing tapes, tape deck didn't work, again, severely dragging. I reported the issue and asked for them to fix, guess what, it was "Out of Warranty". Stated if I wanted it fixed, they will charge me again! In conclusion, you might be better off going to a more reliable & responsible vintage stereo service. read more

Very Disappointed!!:( I called numerous times for an update and kept getting told he would have it next week. After several months, I just gave up and went to pick up my reel to reel. He gave it back with one of the reels missing. When I pointed out the missing piece, he got very defensive and aggressive but never owned up to losing or breaking it. Regardless, I still lost, having paid for him (cash only...hmmm) to look at and not getting it repaired and getting my item back with a missing piece. I seriously question his integrity and would NOT recommend doing business with him. read more

Refused to answer calls reporting concerns about inadequacy of repairs. I left several messages and received no response. Charged $700 but Repairs did not work. CD players worked no better than they had prior to taking them to this company. Ultimately decided to discard the two expensive Bose CD players. Would've cost me more money to drive to company 's Location for further repairs when I had a little confidence they would succeed in solving the problem. If I could give zero stars, I would do so. This is the first time I've ever complained about a service on yelp. Primarily because companies are usually responsive when you do launch a complaint. This company was not. read more

I have to jump on here and give a kind word to Hans. I brought my vintage Marantz 2230 in because a few of the lights were out. Hans offered to open it up and take a look. Everything was original and the caps needed to be replaced. He also offered to replace the lights with new LED. LED is great because they last longer and don't produce heat. Well I picked up the unit but realized the LED lights were much brighter than before. Hans offered to open the unit back up and bring the lights down a bit. Well now it looks amazing. It looks like I just opened it out of the box in 1972. In addition to looking new it also sounds amazing! The pots have no crackle, the bass response is perfect, it's like a brand new unit. Good work takes time, and this refurbish took about 3-4 weeks but it was well worth the wait. If you've got vintage equipment take it here for sure! read more

Orange County Electronics Service - Vintage Marantz 2230 fresh from Hans' shop. Looking brand new! - Electronics Repair Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

I'm not going to say that this man is a wrongdoer or should be avoided. I'm going to let you be the judge. On Saturday, I entered his shop for the first time. One other customer in front of me. I see a large sign: CASH ONLY. I'm just becoming aware that something strange seems to be happening here. I had last seen a cash only sign when Eisenhower was president. I brought in a radio I purchased in 2008. It's a Sanjean table radio. It stopped working that morning. He tells me "$40 cash and I'll inspect it and call in three days". I hand over the cash. I wait...Now, I get the long-awaited call on Thursday. "Various parts burned out and the total cost of repairs is $210. Minus the $40 you gave me, it's gonna cost $170 to repair". At that moment I checked on Amazon and saw that I'd paid $80 back in 2008. Today's cost is $93 for a new version of this same radio. Rather than begin with recriminations and accusations, I simply thanked him and told him I'd donate the radio to him. He seemed quite satisfied with this response. In fact, I'd say that the reason his shop is so full of vintage radios and other electronic devices is the result of these donations, made under similar circumstances. Bottom line= if you must have an old stereo or similar item repaired because it's irreplaceable, deal with this business with caution. Otherwise...steer clear. You've been warned. read more

I brought in my guitar amp with blown speakers and told him I needed it for Saturday night. For $150 he put in new speakers and I was ready for the gig. Cash only is a little inconvenient, but I got what I paid for. read more

A few months back we brought our 1963 Grundig to Hans for repair. It was in generally good condition, the radio was working, and it had all the original parts. I already had it looked at by another professional repairman and the turntable motor was working but it needed a belt that he did not have. When I met Hans he told me it would be worth $10,000 to which I responded "do you have a buyer"? After researching it is Max worth $1000 totally refurbished. For $800 he told us he would have it in tiptop/original working condition with original parts and address the cracked varnish on the top. It took several weeks and we finally got the call that our radio was ready. When we arrived to pick it up the sound quality was terrible and he had taken our original turntable and replaced it with a piece of crap that did not fit properly. (Filthy, peeling, and not working well). The entire Grundig was filthy dirty the sound quality was terrible and the "replacement" turntable did not hold a consistent speed. While we were there from San Diego he attempted to change the needle head on the turntable which did not help the situation and then got angry about the cost of the parts and his labor. He also said that he had to replace an amplifier which I did not believe was the truth as the radio was working perfectly when we brought it in and so we're both speakers. The other professional repairman that I had look at it said that both amplifiers were working great. He charged us $800 and then wanted more to correct his mistakes. We have now driven our Grundig radio up from SD three times and requested our old turntable back to which he replied "it is junk". We still don't have a radio back or the original parts which any good repair shop knows it is the law to return the original parts once you've made a repair. Hans is a crook and I only wish I read the reviews sooner. He also takes forever and doesn't return calls. I hope I get my radio back in perfect working condition today so that I can take the scathing review down and feel that I've actually gotten some thing for my $800. read more

See all

I wish I had read the reviews here before taking my equipment to this shop. Money and time wasted. And I only write reviews when businesses really impress me (positively, or negatively). This business really made a powerful negative impression on me. I took my vintage Technics turntable in for repair. I described the problem, which was that the turntable was spinning too fast, beyond the bounds of the pitch control dial's control range. Pretty straight forward problem. I was assured that the problem would be fixed and the turntable would be refurbished. The "cash-only" policy did raise a red flag, but I chose to ignore it for the time being. Three weeks and $180 later, I picked up the turntable. The proprietor let me plug it in and see the result - which was that the same problem existed. Still spinning too fast. Then he proceeded to gaslight me telling me that despite the indications on the platter-synchro light, it was actually spinning at the correct speed. I argued that the evidence indicated otherwise. At which point I was dismissed with a receipt and a 30-day warranty. So, what did I receive for $180? A new stylus, and a new drive belt. So, that's the bad news. The good news is that this frustrating experience gave me the incentive to try to fix this thing myself. After some exploration on the internet, and after removing the bottom panel, I discovered two speed adjustment screws (pots) on the main circuit board. After a few minor adjustments to these screws, the speed control problem was fixed. The guy could have done that in 15 minutes, and I wouldn't be writing this critical review. If you love your vintage electronics (and your money), I strongly urge you to avoid this shop. read more

Orange County Electronics Service - Technics SL-B205 turntable - Electronics Repair Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

Lead by Hans, it is a fantastic source for restoring vintage stereo and audio gear. He has an intimate knowledge garnered through decades in the space. Has restored a receiver, integrated amp and a beloved turntable. read more

Hans did a great job recapping and reconditioning my early '70s vintage McIntosh MA6100 integrated amplifier. It sounds better than ever now. He really restored it to its former glory. I am very pleased with his work. read more

Chris and Geek Squad-Mission and Hills just came and not only fixed what was wrong but completely tuned up my program my TV everything. He is both professional, well trained courteous... He is everything good about customer service which is such a dying art these days. I highly recommend geek squad and if you're lucky enough to get Chris your problems are over. Sincerely RB and Judy Alexander long time Best Buy customers 949-492-1912 read more

Very careful on this guy he's truly a liar with no knowledge to repair I brought him a amp After a few days he said it's need two days work for repair and $680 cost! In the pick up day I asked what did you do he said I change a lot of resistor and capacitor when I get home and check the amp it didn't fix and when I opened I saw he just changed a capacitor as attached picture . I brought it back to him and After he worked on the amp he said now it's ready and fixed. I checked for second time and realized still has same issue. I'm sure he's not able to fix the high-end unit. As he avoided to refund the money I'm going to complain him not just for the money because he lied a lot. read more

No wonder he only accepts cash. Claimed could repair my issue. Not only was it not repaired, but he never opened the receiver to begin with. DON'T WASTE $. read more

Had a problem with the pre-amp of my 1983 Nikko stereo system. OCES got it fixed and sounding as good as new. No complaints from me. Thanks OCES!! read more

Orange County Electronics Service - Full Vvntage Nikko system. - Electronics Repair Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

I have never read so many 1 star ratings and this company from my phone calls really makes me wonder. Purchased a Pioneer SX980 (This is the receiver I wanted when I was 16 but could not afford). This would be a very good $$$$$$$ job for this company due to it's age 1979. It is like he does not want my business, does not want to talk about the receiver and what I would like done (I am 58 have owned stereo equipment since I was 10, currently have 4 systems in home) all I hear is bring it in, give me $20.00 and it will be 3 weeks before I can even look at it. Yeah Right, Ill be sure to bring it in. read more

Hans worked on an old Luxman LX104 integrated amp and brought it back to life and sounds great. I then had him do a thorough refurbishment on my daughter's Marantz 2245. Cleaned switches, replaced lamps and vellum and did some replacement of parts. Receiver looks and sounds great again. Very satisfied with his work and timing. For some of the negative reviews I would say this. To provide a customer an estimate it requires that the item be looked at and that takes time. I've never had a problem paying someone for their time especially when that fee is applied to the repair. To the one post detailing what they bought an item for and what its current value is, some equipment has dramatically appreciated (case in point, look at current values of older Marantz receivers or Macintosh equipment). Bottom line, if one values an item either due to sentimental reasons or market appreciation I would recommend Hans for the repairs. read more

I took a vintage Fender twin reverb amplifier which was blowing fuses and paid the $40 bench charge. After almost 3-weeks and no word, I called and spoke to Hans. He estimated the repair to be $780 with cheaper Soviet tubes and $1,200 with US-made tubes. I asked Hans what exactly was the problem and he said "amps have shorts". I refused to allow him to repair the amp. When I picked the amp up, I asked for diagnostic details and specifics as to what was wrong with the amp and/or what his repair estimates included. Hans said "I don't give details, even to my father". He couldn't indicate which tubes were defective or what other defetcive parts required replacement. How can a repair business operate in this manner? By the sound of the other review on this shop, Hans has a history of questionable dealings with customers. read more

I came across this shop after doing some research. I was not impressed with the reviews but thought I would give them a shot since it's hard to find someone who can work on these old units. I have a Zenith console stereo, model Y960, which belonged to my father. It had been sitting around and neglected for years. I decided to try and get it working again. I actually attempted to get it working on my own. However, once I took a look at all the capacitors, resistors, etc. that are in the tuning unit, and which resemble a small city, I knew the task was beyond my skill level. So, off to meet Hans I went. I dropped the console off and paid the $20 (it's a cash only business) for evaluation and waited almost 10 days to hear back. The first time Hans called he gave me what I thought was a low quote, but I thought what do I know about his fee structure. I thought about it for a bit and called him back and asked about the work to be done and that is when he realized he gave me the wrong quote. I knew it! Anyway the second quote made more sense to me for what needed to be done to the console. He said it would take a few weeks to repair but called me six days later to say it was ready. Since I needed the help of a second person, my brother, to help move the console I had to wait two weeks to coordinate the retrieval. The day I showed up to retrieve it I took care of the paperwork with Bobby, who I assume is related to Hans. Once I was done I went into the shop to see and hear the repaired console and to ask Hans questions. First off, the console had horrible static noise coming from the left speaker so I politely asked why it was doing that. I mean what did I pay for if it was still making that noise as it did when I first brought it in?! Hans said it needed to get warmed up and then it would go away. Um, no. During this explanation he has the volume up so I reach over and turn it down and ask him to explain to me again what is going on. At this point he explains the issue again, but I don't like what I am being told. Bobby joins us and asks Hans why is it making that noise too. Bobby tells Hans it needs to be right because I, the customer, have driven a long way to get this fixed. After this exchange Hans opened the back of the unit and fixed the static noise issue with a simple bypass wire. Amazing! The stereo sounds great! When he opened up the back I got to look inside and see the new and clean parts that were replaced. The question is why did Hans not have it ready to go like he said? Most importantly, why did he not fix it correctly the first time? It wasn't until Bobby and I questioned him about it that he fixed it, which I find bothersome. I hope the unit continues to work for as long as possible because I do not feel confident in returning to his shop for any other repairs. Buyer beware. read more

See all

Absolute crook! Stay away from this place. Took my receiver in to get cleaned and he broke it and tried to charge me to repair it. After talking to him and his son at the same time I'm convinced that they broke it on purpose so they could make more money off me. read more

I had an awful buzz coming from the left channel of my two channel stereo system. After a process of elimination, I determined it was in the solid state mono amp. Though the other one was still working properly, I brought both of them to Hans. He does require a small cash deposit. We discussed the issue, and as I suspected, it sounded like one or more of the capacitors had failed. He estimated that it would be around two weeks, but he would call me as soon as he diagnosed the problem. Sure enough, it was a bad capacitor. I was already aware, but he suggested we recap both units so the output would match. The pandemic has affected practically every industry, and the delay in receiving the new caps resulted in a three week completion. I had the amps recapped about 8 years ago, and I don't recall the improvement in sound to be anywhere near what I observed after getting them back from Hans. It was that significant. His son Bobby was professional and gracious. For any future electronic related issues, I will not hesitate to go back to OC Electronics Service. P.S. I live in South Orange County, not San Francisco read more

Orange County Electronics Service - Electronics Repair Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

My experience with Hans and Bobby at OCES was very good. They were happy to help and did so in a very timely matter. I live in another state and had taken a job to clean and inspect a 1937 Zenith Chairside radio. I was to look for obvious issues like blown fuses, broken connections and report my findings. In the process I broke the tuning dial string. I needed to find someone to repair this quickly. I found OCES through the web. They took my radio, serviced it and shipped back within 7 days!! The speed of service alone was awesome. The repairs were accomplished to my great relief and satisfaction. Our communication throughout was consistent. No answering machines, no menus to navigate- Hans answered himself. I will go with them again, no problem. Thanks folks!!!! Cary read more

This is a very dishonest company and the people there will lie to your face and charge you for repairs that are not necessary and they will over bill you for amateur service claiming to be professionals. They will lie to you and they will take your money on false premise.. this company should be charged with fraud and completely be put out of business. I brought a tube amp which worked properly and sounded beautiful when I dropped it off and it would not even function when I picked it up . All they had to do was to adjust bias.. Instead he removed a fully working part and replaced it with the wrong replacement part and then charged me double price for work that had not been done. May you go out of business tomorrow and never steal from anyone again. Shame on you. read more

I'm so mad at myself for not looking at the yelp reviews. Shame on me but shame on this company for totally ripping me off of $350. I took my Marshall in on 3/2. Paid the $40 and waited for call back. I waited and waited. So i called and he said "yeah i found the problem". He said "these amps are hard to work on and it will cost $350". So i said "really?" but i said okay cause i didn't know any better and trusted him. So i waited and waited and waited. I call and he says..."yeah it will be ready soon". So i waited and waited ...i call again, mind you he says he will call me everytime (he never did). So i go pick it up. He says "did you bring guitar to try it out?" I said "what you repair amps but don't test them with a guitar at the shop?" He said "no". I took it home. Plugged it in and he didn't fix a thing on it. So i take it back with my guitar to show him. He acts like he knows whats wrong with it. So another two weeks of me calling cause he never calls me. Finally i call and he says "its ready and i was going to try and call you tomorrow". I said "tomorrow, why not today?" So i go down there with my guitar and nothing is fixed. He tells me its my guitar chord and to not turn the gain up to high. What the Hell. Its a Marshall. You use the gain. So i took the amp when to guitar center and they recommended a guy. I took it to him an authorized Marshall repair/wholesale guy. He looked it at and said "you got ripped off". That this guy did nothing to my amp. He said "this is under warranty" didn't the guy tell you that?". I said "no". so i left it with the new guy and in less then a day he had the problem identified and parts ordered to fix it. The other guy had my amp for 5 weeks. So i am now taking him to small claims. This shouldn't happen to anyone. Moral of the story. Check yelp reviews, make sure the person is authorized/approved to do repairs on your make of amp. Lesson learned for me but shame on Orange County Electronics Service. read more

Drop-off my power supply for service on September 27, every time I call to check up on it, it's the same answer, 'A couple of days'. After 3 of 'A couple days' , which is now10 days later, and with no progress nor a clear indication that they know what to do with it, I decided to take it back. Took a lost on the deposit before more damages will be done to my equipments. Update. Took the unit home and fix it myself and find that I was lied to as well. Was told they know what's wrong with it, but nothing on the unit has been touched. Either they don't know what they are doing, this is a bad shop or they lied. There is no way to read the capacitors, resistors...etc.. accurately without removing them out of the circuit. None of the parts were touched after 10 days in service. Not recommended. read more

I had a stereo console from the sixties but it was broken. I visited with Hans and he is a proficient repairman with over 40 years experience. He is very busy so be patient but his service is worth it. I pulled out the old 8 track tapes and albums and was wondering if I would ever have flashbacks to the sixties. Hans repaired the 8 track tape player but also brought the record player back to mint operation. I would almost pay anything for the nostalgia and listened to Crosby Stills and Nash on 8 track and Brooklyn Bridge on the record player. read more

This place is as dishonest as they come. Brought my Dual 1229 Turntable in for a complete service. Nothing ever worked well after I got it back and they had me buy a new motor that I had to pay for and then they charged me another $50 to install it instead of just servicing it - the cue lever was not fixed and the Tonearm azimuth was off. The table stopped when the record stopped but Duals usually continue to spin for almost 90 seconds after the tonearm returns. I took my turntable to a more reputable service center in LA County and the technician said that most of my turntable had never been touched in at least 20 plus years. Probably spent over $200 for them to do next to nothing. I hate dishonest people. Avoid Hans at all costs!!!!! read more

I recently discovered Hans and OC Electronics from a friend who had gone there before. I had an old reel to reel that I had gotten off eBay and it wasn't working. I took my Revox A77 into Hans and paid the $20 for him to look at ($20 is great, most places charge $60-$80). He called me within a week and told me what was wrong and gave me price to fix. The price was fair and I had him complete the repair. He had it done within another week and I picked it up and it worked great. I have recently taken in another reel to reel (Ampex 936) as well as an old 25" CRT to repair. All good and honest service. Another great thing for working people - they are open on Saturday from 10-2. read more

This place is horrible, they take advantage of older people! My Grandma brought in a vcr/dvd player combo, the dvd player didn't work. They had it for a few weeks. She payed $225 and it didn't work (same as when dropped off). She went back and they said they couldn't fix it because they can't get the part (so they got the "part" before?). She ended up buying a dvd player for $40. I would never recommend this establishment! read more

Nice folks. Got lost trying to find location. My GPS had me going around and around in circles. I had never been in that area before so it was kind of a challenge trying to get my bearings. I finally found it was glad I went by. The owner and his son seem like really nice folks. I'm sure I'll be doing business again with them in the future. read more

I recently dug my old stereo out of storage after 30 years and knew it would sound great like it did before and that I would also get to play the 100 or so albums that were also in storage. After I set it up I discovered that there​ was no sound on the left side. I thought this a pretty old unit, I wonder if anyone still works on them. Then I found OCES, and wow, what a great bunch of folks. Not only did they fix mine but they have an incredible collection of electronic equipment that goes probably​ all the back to Edison himself. They can fix anything. I have no doubt! They are a real down-to-earth bunch of people and a real pleasure to do business with. read more

Very dishonest person. I would avoid this business. Tries to steal/swap your parts, then posts your personal information like a todler when you call him out read more

Great customer service!!!!! Hans was extremely knowledgeable on vintage items. I brought my Pioneer turntable to have it checked out, Hans service the TT with a new belt, new cartridge, stylus and lube all of the critical parts. Now the TT sounds like a real gem. It performs like a champ playing old vinyls. His knowledge and experiences in vintage gears are very impressive and he has been extremely helpful to the customer. Will definitely go back and recommend to others. read more

This is the worst place to go! Beware! Hans is a shyster! He said he would change all the tubes in my 1959 Console Stereo and changed only 2. He said he changed the bad transformer out but wouldn't give me the old one because he "sold it for scrap". Which means he didn't change it. We opened up the back to look - same old transformer. Big lie. No written estimate. No written receipt until I demanded it. The invoice says "Not valid as a receipt in California" on all of their receipts. He promised it would be "just like new" (exact quote) but the extra speaker jack didn't work, the turntable still didn't function properly, the phono jack for inputs was NOT installed, the new tubes promised were NOT installed, the correct mounts for the turntable still are missing, the tone controls were still noisy, the transformer has NOT been changed and the external stereo speaker wires he installed were the cheap ones I brought in with the external speaker. I asked him to open the back and show me the "new" transformer but he wouldn't do it. It's 5 screws but he knew it would prove him a liar and wouldn't open it. Hans is not to be trusted. AND he demanded payment up front! Once he has your money the falsehoods begin. This is your fair warning: Steer clear of this place!!! read more

I took my Bose stereo to get repaired. They said 20.00 to check it out. After 2 months several call said couldn't fix and cost me another 75.00 labor. I don't recommend or trust them! read more

Brought in a 30+ year old Dual turntable that had been sounding pretty wooly to begin with and then lost the left channel altogether. Hans got me an estimate quick, and did the repair in less time than he thought it would take. The cost was very reasonable, especially considering the fact that it included replacing the cartridge with a very nice Acutex. Most importantly, the deck now sounds great. read more

I have a vintage turntable that was given to me by my grandpa and it had been sitting around for ages so I thought that I would get it working and play a few of his old records. I looked online and there aren't to many vintage electronics shops around but thankfully these place was close. The shop is well light and clean and the guy who helped me was really nice. They did a great job restoring my grandpa's turntable and you could tell they really care about vintage tech. I would definitely recommend this shop to others. read more